The 45th session of the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO approved following India’s recommendations.
Santiniketan, the famed place in West Bengal where poet Rabindranath Tagore built Visva-Bharati over a century ago, also earned the UNESCO tag.
The Hoysala temples at Belur, Halebidu and Somanathapur in Karnataka were declared as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
The Hoysala temples are known for evolving a distinct style that is ornate with temple architecture following a stellate plan built on a raised platform.
The material used in temple construction is choloritic schist which is also known as soapstone that are soft and amiable to carving.
They are the 42nd site in India and fourth site in Karnataka to get the world heritage tag.
Previously, two other groups of monuments of Karnataka at Hampi (1986) and Pattadakal (1987) along with the Ecological hotspot Western Ghats (2012) had the coveted status.
The Hoysala rulers ruled over parts of Southern India from the 11th Century to the 14th Century with Halebidu (Dwarasamudra) as their capital.
With this successful nomination, India has 42 world heritage properties overall.
It includes 34 in the cultural category, seven in the natural category and one mixed property.
Presently, India has the sixth largest number of (UNESCO) sites in the world.